Upload Apps In Teams By Enabling Sideloading Feature

Microsoft Teams allows uploading apps in two ways: uploading apps directly to manage apps in the Teams admin centre, or by using the sideloading feature.

A. Begin by Uploading team’s app from Teams admin centre which is:

1. Navigate to https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/.
    
2. Click on Manage apps under Teams apps.
    
3. Click on Upload new app.
    
4. Admin can upload the zip file (includes files manifest.json, color.png, icon.png).
   
   
   Fig 1.1 – Upload teams app from manage apps in Teams admin centre 
    
5. Once the zip file is uploaded, admins need to Allow the uploaded app for everyone in their organization to use the app, as shown in Fig 1.2.
   
   
   Fig 1.2 – Change the status of uploaded app from Blocked to Allowed

This covers the first way to upload a Teams app. Let’s look at the second way of uploading apps to Microsoft Teams.

B. Sideloading of apps to Microsoft Teams 

Sideloading apps means uploading custom apps through Microsoft Teams Apps, as shown in Fig 1.3.

Fig 1.3 – Upload custom apps from Teams Apps Store (Sideloading of apps)

Steps to enable sideloading feature for your Microsoft Teams:

1. Navigate to https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/.
    
2. Click on Setup Policies under Teams apps section as shown in Fig 1.4.
    
3. Click on Global (Org-wide default) settings as highlighted in Fig 1.4.
   
   
   Fig 1.4 – Microsoft Teams Setup Policies in Teams admin centre
    
4. Toggle On the Upload custom apps field to enable Sideloading feature for your organization’s Microsoft Teams.
   
   
   Fig 1.5 – Enable Sideloading
    
5. When this is done, go to your https://teams.microsoft.com/, Navigate to Apps from the bottom left hand navigation rail, and click on Manage your apps, as shown in Fig 1.6.
   
   
   Fig 1.6 – Manage your apps in Microsoft Teams 
    
6. You will now see Upload an app. Once you upload the zip package, this app can be used across this organization in Teams/Channel/Meeting/Personal scope.
    
7. The user can also sideload/upload the app in a specific Team if they want by going to:
   
   Select the Team > Click on Manage Team as highlighted in the Fig 1.7.
   
   
   Fig 1.7 – Manage Team
    
8. In Manage Apps, select Apps from the top menu, and you will see Upload custom app at the bottom of the screen. There you can upload the zip package of your custom app, and it will be added to your Team.
    
9. Like Team, user can upload custom app to Meeting chat as well.
   
   
   Fig 1.8 – Upload Custom app to a specific Team

This article briefly covers how admins and users can upload custom apps in teams using the teams admin centre and sideloading feature.

I hope this article is helpful. Keep learning and keep sharing!